Stain and Seal Your Fountain
THE BASICS
Intro
If you have had your outdoor fountain, bird bath, or concrete piece for several years, it may need fresh stain and resealing. Over time and exposure to the elements, both stain and sealant may need to be reapplied. My primary purpose for restaining and sealing my fountain was exposure to extremely hard water. After four years, the fountain really needed some refreshing.
Preparation
In my case, my fountain was plagued with severe hard water stains. Calcium deposits were so significant they would flake off the fountain in chunks. My first approach was to spray all of the flaky material off and generally clean the fountain up with the pressure washer. After I was able to remove a significant amount of the deposits, you can clean your fountain with a scrub brush and vinegar or another cleaner to further fight those calcium deposits. After the fountain is clean to your satisfaction, it is very important to let it dry out completely before proceeding to the next step, staining.
Staining
I contacted my local fountain store and they recommend I use Sherwin William’s line of concrete stain. I selected the H&C Solid Color Concrete Stain in Tri-Corn Black (the matching color to the trim on the shed). It is important to apply thin coats to the concrete. I worked my stain in with a brush. Any brush for use with stain should work fine. You can also use a roller or other application method, but for intricate details, the brush will be your best bet. After fully coating the fountain once in a light coat and allowing it to dry to the touch, mine required one additional thin coat to fully cover all of the hard water stains.
We had several days of rain after my stain application, delaying my sealant application. Follow the instructions for dry and cure time on the stain you select before proceeding with a sealant.
Sealing
Sealing may or may not be necessary depending on your preference and the look you are going for. If you do not apply a sealant you may need to reapply stain on a more regular basis.
My fountain arrive with a glossy finish, so I decided to apply a “wet look” sealant. These can be applied either by brush or spray. I checked Henri’s website (the manufacturer of my fountain) and they offer a spray sealant for touch ups. I decided to proceed with a spray sealant from a local hardware store manufactured by Rustoleum called ‘Wet Look Lacquer Turbo with Turbo Spray System’. I used almost an entire can on my small fountain. Like the stain, this should be applied in thin coats evenly. Lacquer, particularly spray lacquers, can have a tendency to bubble up if applied too thickly. I applied one coat to the entire fountain, and a subsequent thin coat.
The fountain ended up perfectly glossy like it was when it was installed.